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Brandon Zachary
Published 11 minutes ago
Brandon Zachary is a Lead Writer for Screen Rant's New Movie Team. He also writes or has written for Comicbook.com, CBR, That Hashtag Show, Just Watch, and TVBrittanyF. Brandon is an Emerging Screenwriters Semi-Finalist, co-writer of a Screencraft Quarter-Finalist, a seasoned on-screen interviewer, and a MASSIVE nerd. You can reach him at [email protected]
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The following contains spoilers for EternityEternity forces Joan to choose between her first love and her lifelong husband, setting up the film's ultimate moral. Eternity introduces a unique perspective on the afterlife, where people choose where their afterlife is — and with whom. This complicates Joan's situation, however, as her two deceased husbands compete for her affections.
The film is largely rooted in the choice Joan has to make: whether she'll reunite with her long-dead first husband Luke, or if she'll remain with her life-long spouse Larry. It's a film that doesn't paint either side as villainous or perfect, which plays into the film's themes about romance and passion.
Does Joan Choose Larry Or Luke In Eternity?
Miles Teller looking on as Callum Turner holds Elizabeth Olsen's hand to his chest in Eternity 2025
Eternity is rooted in the decision that Joan has to make over which husband to spend her afterlife with — and although she initially chooses Luke, she eventually decides on Larry. After dying peacefully not long after her husband passed away, Joan reunites with Larry and quickly tries to adjust to the afterlife.
This is complicated by the presence of her first husband, Luke, who died during the Korean War. Luke has waited for decades to be reunited with her, setting up both men to compete for her affections in hopes that they can convince her to join them in their respective eternities.
However, when a frustrated Joan almost chooses to ignore them both, Larry realizes that Joan's form in the afterlife is based on her happiest moments — and that she looks like she did when she was with Luke. This prompts Larry to back out of the competition, allowing Joan to go into an afterlife with Luke.
Eternity is about the question of whether the heights of first love are more valuable than a more enduring one. While Luke and Joan are initially happy together, Joan grows increasingly distant from her first love and begins to miss Larry. Eventually, Luke reluctantly comes to terms with this and helps her escape.
While Luke and Joan do love each other on some deep level that will never go away, it's clear by Eternity's third act that her true love is with Larry. She'll always wonder what could have happened if Luke hadn't died in the Korean War, but she can't deny that she and Luke have found true happiness together.
How Eternity's Afterlife Works
Elizabeth Olsen in EternityA24 / Courtesy Everett Collection
The afterlife in Eternity is rooted in choosing specific paths forward. Every person who dies is greeted with a choice on where they want to spend the remainder of their existence. A floor show and salesmen frequently try to pitch new arrivals on their own afterlives, but with no clear hierarchy at play.
This is jokingly referenced multiple times in the film, with no clear deity identified. Instead, the afterlife is treated as a bureaucracy where people have to follow specific rules. As the film progresses, it turns out that even the employees of the afterlife are regular souls instead of angels or demons.
Because they have not chosen their own eternity or have found a new purpose in helping others on their own path, they remain in the limbo space between forevers. This turns out to be Anna's backstory, as she quietly reveals to Larry that she came from a hard life but has found meaning in her position as an afterlife coordinator.
If someone wants to remain in that space, they have to find a position in the afterlife. This is what happens to Larry after he believes Joan has chosen Luke, electing to take Luke's now open position as bartender. Deciding he doesn't want an eternity without Joan, Larry simply remains behind to lend an ear to other wandering souls.
Choosing an eternity is meant to be a one-and-done decision. As Joan and Larry eventually discover, attempting to escape an eternity can get someone dropped into an empty void, which is described as the closest thing to hell in this world. That Joan is willing to risk this to reunite with Larry speaks to her love for him.
The True Meaning Of Eternity
Miles Teller as Larry laying next to Elizabeth Olsen as Joan in Eternity
At the core of Eternity is the difference between young passion and enduring love. While Joan is quickly lost in Luke's eyes and overjoyed to see him again, they have little actual chemistry in the long run. Luke is active in a way Joan isn't, and their differences only grow more pronounced as the film progresses.
Although they'll always love one another on some level, Luke and Joan both acknowledge that their relationship was built up in their heads precisely because it ended prematurely. They never got the chance to grow and change, and be new people together. This gives their romance a wistful quality and a bittersweet edge.
By contrast, Joan is quick to bicker with Larry, but is also more comfortable with him than anyone else. Larry and Joan laugh together and have fun with their situation. Larry knows Joan's favorite music, notices the changes in her hair, and is blunt with her in a way no one else is. He's her partner, in every way.
All of this is presented as Larry being frustrating and even annoying at times, but he also makes Joan happier than anyone else in the film. Their love has endured tragedy, happiness, and complacency. It's not just passion that drives them together; it's a relationship that keeps them together.
This is the ultimate moral of Eternity, with Larry happily risking his own existence for a chance to spend a quiet eternity with Joan. Notably, they don't choose a mountain, a beach, or any vacation destination. Instead, they just want to be in a suburb that resembles the one where they raised a family and grew old together.
It's a sweet conclusion to the film, and one that highlights why Joan chooses Larry. While Luke may be young love personified, he's become an idea to Joan instead of a person. By contrast, for all his faults, Larry is the person she knows and cares about. It's a sweet emotional core that helps Eternity stick a potentially tricky ending.
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Like Follow Followed Eternity PG-13 Romance Comedy
6/10
Release Date
November 26, 2025
Runtime
112 minutes
Director
David Freyne
Writers
David Freyne, Pat Cunnane
Cast
See All-
Elizabeth Olsen
Joan
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Miles Teller
Larry
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Eternity
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